Cabinet for exhibiting eye-testing devices



J. M. SCOTT. CABINET FOR EXHIBITING EYE TESTING DEVICES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- I7, I918- Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

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W/lA/ESS'ES mm J. M. SCOTT. CABINET FOR EXHIBITING EYE TESTING DEVICES. APPLICATION FILED SEPT-17, 1918.

1,337,728. Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

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UNITED STATES PATENT onnron JOHN M. SCOTT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TQM. E. GREEN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

Application filed September 17, 1918. Serial No. 254,438.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN M. Soon, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cabinets for Exhibiting Eye-Testin Devices, of which the following is a speci cation.

This invention relates to improvements in cabinets for exhibiting eye testin devices, and the main object thereof, is the provision of a casing containing mechanism for performing the different tests employed by occulists and Opticians and thus dlspense with a number of separate complicated devices.

Another object is to provide a cabinet of this character having accurate test objects correctly illuminated.

Another object is to so construct such a cabinet as to obviate inaccuracies, avoid misunderstandings between the operator and the patient, facilitate the examination, raise the efliciency of the subjective test, and enable'the examiner to make accurate diagnosis based on a definite knowledge of the patients visual error.

Another object is to so construct such a cabinet that everything connected therewith is executed with scientific precision.

Another object is to construct a cabinet of this character, the illuminating lights of which may be operated one at a time or all or any combination lighted at one time.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of this character in which no time is lost in instructing the patient and no doubt is left in his mind concerning which letters are to be read.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combi: nation and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without de arting from the spirit of the invention,

11 the accompanying drawings 2-- Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a v cabinet embodyingthis invention,

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the front unit removed.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in section of the switch board employed in connection with this apparatus,

4 is a plan view of the switch-board,

Fig. 5 is an edge view partly in section of the cabinet, and

Fig. 6 is a detail of the switch board with parts broken out. In the embodiment illustrated, a casing 1 is shown, which may be of any desired configuration, but is shown rectangular in form. Formed in the front wall or plate 2 of the casing are a plurality of transversel extending oblong openings 3, arrange one over the' other and spaced a art for a purpose presently to be described At the other side of said plate 2 are a plurahty of apertures 4, two series being here shown, each containing four openings.

The front plate 2 of the casing is made of clear glass and at the back thereof and spaced therefrom is another plate 5, between which plates is designed to be positioned a paper mat 6 carrying the charts 7 thereon. After these charts have been placed in operative position between the front plate 2 and the rear plate 5 a metal binding 16 is soldered entirely around the plates, making a unit which will protect the charts and may be readily replaced at any time when worn or broken.

The casing 1 is substantially and rigidl made with the end walls 10 connected wit the front plate 2 and with the rear wall of the casing by rabbet joints 1 at the corners.

Cross partitions as 11 and 12 are arranged in the cabinet 1 and secured in spy suitable manner, said partitions being preferably arranged in the grooves 13. vertical partition 14 divides the easing into two compartments in which are mounted electric 1i ht bulbs 15 which are wired and connec to be operated in a manner presently to be described. The front face of the casin has the plate 2 arranged thereover, an the charts 7 are disposed between plates 2 and 5, said charts being composed of archment paper with the test types lithographed thereon, the charts being engraved on stone from copy drawn to the .001454, to the tangent of a five minute angle, and then lithographed on genuine parchment'stock. By

- thus ctnstructing-the parchment each stroke of every letter is accurate and clear cut having no wavy lines and uneven milky surface 7 as is the case when opal glass is used ini may be replaced by another containing different charts.

The lights or bulbs 15 whichare arranged behind the openings 3 and i are connected and wired so that each test ma be illuminated absolutely independently o the others, which means that the tests may be illuminated one at a time in any order of rotation or, any group of tests illuminated collectively, or the entire chart-lighted at once.

An'opening 17; is formed at the left-hand corner of plate 2, said opening being here shown square, and another opening 18 is arranged at the right-hand corner of the plate, bein made circular to receive an astigmatic ial19.

A muscle test point-light aperture 20 is formed in the plate 2, the apertures 4: being designed for use in color-tests.

It will thus be seen that each cabinet is provided with compartments for test letters. an astigmatic dial, color test andmuscletest point light. The number of test letter compartments may be varied to suit the optician who is to use-the cabinet.

A compact switch-board 21 is fastened on the wall within convenient reach of the optician making the test, or it may be placed on a table or other suitable support. This switc board 21 has the buttons as 22 for closing the contacts of the lights, and each of these buttons is marked to indicate what test it lights, so that the operator may always know just what he is doing without glancing at the chart or leaving his position at the trial case while making the subjective test. It will thus be seen that upon inspecting the illustration, the various lines of letters or chart 7 are in separate compartments, all of which are in the dark until the switch-board is manipulated, and any line of letters may be illuminated at the will of the operator, thus automatically directing the patients attention to the and havin just as important in the result as the size of the letters. If the light is too bright or too dim the letters cannot be seen clearly, even though the vision is good, and it is to be understood that the lighting of this test cabinet has been accurately gaged to comply with the standard which is the equiva-. lent of a twenty-five watt tungsten lamp at a distance of twelve inches from the object viewed.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art to which the invention appertains and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention to ether with the device which I now consi er to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes ma be made as are within the scope of the c aimed invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An eye testing cabinet, com rising a casin having a removable front face compose of two laterally spaced transparent plates arranged one in front of the other, an opaque mat disposed between said plates openings therein, charts carried by said mat over said openings, said casing having chambers arranged in the rear of said plates and opposite said charts, and illuminating means for said chambers.

2. An apparatus of the class described comprising a cabinet having accurate test objects arranged therein, illuminating 1i hts for sai test objects, and means w ereby said lights may be operated indivldually or any combination at one time.

3. A cabinet for eye testing devices having a front plate with a plurality of transversely extending oblong openings arranged therein, one above the other, and s aced apart, transparent charts at the back 0 said openings, said plate having a pluralit of series of color test apertures at one si e of said chart containing openings and a concealed eye test light aperture, said plate having openings at its lower corners, an astigmatic dial in one corner openin and a chart in the other, and means un er the control of the operator for illuminating the various tests individually or collectively.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a cabinet divided into compartments, a test object'in each compartment test illuminating means for each compartment, and

means operable from a point remote to illuminate any or all of the said test objects.

5. In a cabinet of the class described,

a rigid body having grooved sides and ends, partitions dividing said body into compartments and cemented into said grooves, a removable chart containing front unit, and illuminating means for said chart.

6. A cabinet of the class described including a removable front unit composed of spaced transparent plates arranged one in front of the other with an opaque paper mat disposed between said plates and having openings therein, charts cemented to one face of said mat over said openings to be exposed therethrough, and a metal binding encompassing and secured to the edges of said plates to form said unit.

7. A cabinet of the class described including a removable front unit composed of spaced transparent plates arranged one in front of the other with an opaque paper mat disposed between said plates and having openings therein, parchment paper charts cemented to one face of said mat over said openings and having test type lithographed thereon for exposure through said openings, and a metal binding encompasslng and secured to the edges of said plates.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN M. SCOTT.

Witnesses MURRAY H. DAVIS, JENNINGS O. NUGENT. 

